Mayor of Fairfield City Frank Carbone believes young women will benefit greatly from the powerful messages presented by Passalaris’s workshop.

“As a father of a teenage girl, I understand some of the challenges young women can go through. I believe it is important that we mentor them through these years and provide as much support as we can,” Mayor Carbone said.

“Teenagers go through many body and hormonal changes, which can become an extremely difficult time for some. During this time they may also be exposed to peer pressure, which can affect them mentally and emotionally.

“The Beautiful Minds Workshop will openly discuss these issues and empower young people to challenge and overcome these pressures.

“Council is dedicated to providing useful resources for our young people that aim to guide them into healthy, happy and successful adults.”

South African-born Passalaris believes young women need to have a safe space where they can learn, be inspired and feel they are heard.

“We at Beautiful Minds believe our communities need to have access to more educational workshops such as the ones we provide,” Passalaris said.

“We want to support young people. Our workshop contributes to the development of healthy and happy teens who go on to be assets in their community.”